"Legend of No. 42" tells the story of Jack Robinson, a black player who joined the Brooklyn Dodgers and led the team to the championship against the backdrop of a long-standing abolition of slavery in the United States, but still serious racial discrimination in society.
The film begins with a set of documentary footage showing a background after the end of World War I. In addition to some historical footage, the images of black reporters typing are also interspersed in a superimposed manner. The voiceover is a prequel to a biography of Jack Robin Hoon written by a black journalist. After the end of the First World War, there were still social phenomena such as "racial segregation" that insulted the personality of black people and other unequal social phenomena in the United States. Baseball is democratic, but baseball is about tradition. All 400 federal baseball players were white and in 1947 there was only one black. This simple "one" is a qualitative change that spans an era. The picture freezes at the moment when the black baseball player runs, fixing the most exciting moment in the continuous picture. Let him remain in the audience's vision for a longer time to deepen the impression.
The general manager of the Dodgers in the film, Rich, is a Christian white man who admires the Bible. That's the white guy who brought Jack to the team, not for the green bill but for the equal rights of black and white. His daring breakthrough brought the Dodgers to the championship and society began to gradually recognize people of color. The film uses a lot of natural light, and the yellowish light in the office is projected down the window, symbolizing the bright hope and showing Richie's kind and noble character. In the office Jack asked, "Do you want to hire someone who doesn't have the courage to resist?" He answered calmly, "I want to recruit someone who has the courage not to resist." It was Rich who made Jack scolded and scolded Keep calm, he is a wise man and a promoter of the times.
There were applause and sigh, with the latter accounting for more. Outside the arena is the condemnation and rejection of many white people. On the field, the opponents make things difficult for teammates to crowd out. The cheering voices in the white audience stood in stark contrast to the encouragement in the black audience. At the climax of the film, the Philadelphia team manager insults Jack on the field, but Jack still maintains himself in the midst of all kinds of cacophony. The Philadelphia team manager is a projection of society, and on him is the discrimination against blacks by the whole society. There was a little white boy in the audience watching his father and the audience around him insult Jack, and he began to learn their faces. Discrimination in society is deeply rooted, and parents' words and deeds have a great impact on the next generation.
Parallel and intersecting montage narrative, filled with various characters. We've seen Jack Robinson improve and achieve on the field, see a subtle change in his relationship with his teammates, see him go from a boy to a father. See him make No. 42 and become a legend.
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